Meet our new Instructor, David Lees!

I’ve always been very creative and have been able to put things together in an unexpected way to create some kind of excitement and interest. I began doing this as a young boy growing up in the San Francisco Peninsula by constantly moving around the furniture in my room.

I continued moving things around to create an impact, by creating parties and events in high school and then college. After studying design, advertising, packaging and exhibit design at Carnegie Mellon University and The Arts Center College of Design in Los Angeles, I moved to New York City.

There, I was first hired by advertising agencies such as Young and Rubicam, N.W. Ayer and Chiat/Day to create packaging solutions for leading brands. I decided to go out on my own doing the same and created David Lees Design. I was then given an offer I could not refuse and became in-house designer for “Studio 54,” the legendary night club, where I created the look of the club and its special events for three years. After that, I established my own event production company, David Lees Productions – to help companies better market their products and services through product launches, press announcements, and over the top events.

Why did you decide to become a career coach?

After 30 years of running around the country, Europe, and the Pacific Rim – quite frankly, I was burned out and thought it was time to start something new. I went to see a career coach to help me. I was so impressed by the process she took me through to create a new understanding of myself and what I could do with the next step of my life. We came to the conclusion that the missing piece was the opportunity to closely work with “people” to help them better position, package and market their talents! That’s why I’m a career coach today. I get to do what I’ve always loved which is moving things around – now, to help my clients get attention and succeed. I do this by helping them see new career possibilities by better connecting them to who they are at their core.

What’s the most common thing people need to work on?

Recognizing their intrinsic strengths and capitalizing on them.

Can you give our students a quick tip about networking?

Be authentic, have a strong and unique value proposition, and realize that your efforts must be about helping others succeed with your guidance and not all about you and your amazing talent.

David meets fellow Instructors and gets welcomed to the FIT family at our annual FIT Continuing & Professional Studies Instructor Meeting in the Katie Murphy Amphitheatre.

Blue is becoming my favorite color lately. It has amazing ranges and is clearly represented in home fashions to apparel and accessories this season fall 2016. It’s not new and it’s not a surprise. It hung around last season too and through the summer it shined. I think its appeal lies in its versatility. Maybe it’s the reputation for loyalty, something that resonates ”hope” in many of us during this political fiery climate. Maybe it’s the peaceful tranquility we can draw upon as it takes us from the oceans view to the skies limits. Forecasters everywhere cite blue is here to stay.

COLOR HOUSE WOOL 06 is a tweak on the classic navy as they say and it pairs beautifully with smoky neutrals or clean whites whether warm or cool.

Benjamin Moore holds true to blue in many shades and nuances. I love Lucerne Blue through their Affinity line for its touch of green yet calm anchoring capability. While bold it’s oddly calming. Even if a
large wall holds it, rest assure in the background it will stay. It pairs well with any white as tribute to the color of the year and partners nicely with gray in any tint or shade but. I love its ability to play neutral and support vibrant pops like in this room.

With hints of green to cast a teal or hidden red to read a bit more towards purple or periwinkle, blue is fascinating this season and on through winter.

Colors like Adriatic Sea CSP-660 create a rich saturated hue with a
hint of freshness. Pantone sees it clearly in the hue they call Riverside with its denim appeal that reads right in every instance. Lush velvets evoke a sense of casual comfort in this powered yet rich blue, watch for it through summer 2017 in home décor, apparel and more.

Gale Force by Sherwin Williams and Marea Baja part of their cornflower hues are lovely blue colors that are grounded with earthy appeal. A hint of green peaking through both; they share a moody somewhat emotional vibe that anchors color to neutral.

Zuhair Murad’s gorgeous blue Baroque inspired dress in this rich regal blue is a mix of Bohemian Rhapsody coupled with a funky fedora creating this drama along with a satin damask.

Nike shouts blue in the air max moiré style sneakers for a bold retreat for quick feet.

From Paul Smiths chic one button ladies blazer to his leather wing tips which exist even for ladies a variety of blue hues come to life. Bring your inner mermaid to life with curious blends that feel esoterically playful. Wigs or real locks, hair color hues are a trend that blue is taking over.

I like blue for all it stands for and notice it safely and reassuringly showing up in our apparel and home furnishings for some time now. A color that stays fresh but not too overwhelming plays an accent or tosses in some drama, l I say take a chance and go blue. Could it be a better option than basic black? Perhaps it’s true. I know I am enjoying what this color brings to the table.

By Jove: The Biz Buzz

Aha weekly tidbits for the HT Insider

Ok, so what are they saying? The Friday after Thanksgiving is no longer black, its charcoal grey? Or is it barely black and now starts at 8 pm on the day before. Wasn’t grey the new black this year, anyway?

In case you missed the NYT, Sunday 11/21 article “It Takes a Lot of Money to Look This Good” both Emma Sosa and Joan Volpe (FIT Center for Professional Studies) were quoted. The article validates personal shopping as a service and career opportunity. Kind of reminds me of the old cliché “Does Macy’s tell Gimbel’s?” since the WSJ ran “Really Personal Shopping” on 12/4 underscoring the same theme. Of course we knew the value of the personal shopper already since Image Consulting is the longest running Professional Development certificate program. But it is so nice to see top media thinking like us. Article- http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/fashion/Personal-Shoppers-Still-Busy.html?smid=pl-share

At the Retail Marketing Society luncheon on Tuesday 12/4 (absolutely one of the best networking and learning experiences in the market, www.retailmarketingsociety.org) the always profound Robin Lewis told it like it is in retail today “The Retail Future: Landscape or Landmines”. According to Robin the faster retailers embrace an Omni-Channel strategy the better their chances of survival. Pure players will not grow and Amazon is already opening stores. Robin says the market desperately needs talent who understand Omni-Channel and can adapt decisions and merchandising to multi-formats. Head’s up all of you taking courses in the Omni-Channel certificate.

Have you noticed? Students in the Color certificate program develop a trend forecast in SXC 260 and try to predict the hottest color for the coming season which is then used for the next Hot Topics catalog.